Info needed: 1967 M38A1 Lubrication?

[Les Kovacs]

Hi Rob,

Thanks for all the valuable info/tidbits....firstly, yes, the rad still pukes fluid but its still well above the core. I have run the engine for about 30kms since I bought it a few days ago and there is still no oil droplets in the rad fluid or malted milk fluid around the inside of the oil filler or on the dip stick. The temp gauge always reads about 120-140 and no more....is this normal?....or do you think its busted? I will test as per your suggestion by running for 1 min and then cracking open the rad cap and looking for pressure.

As per the drag link....I did notice that the ends have cross marks as if they can be adjusted. I Also noticed that the drag link has a repair kit on it already. It steers OK but again, if I hit a pothole at about 20-30 kms the steering wheel shakes for a split second then settles down.

Canadian tire has only 80-90 gear oil al GL4 or 5..cannot find GL 3....had to top up the front & rear diffs as they were well below filler lip. Have not look at the trans or transfer yet but they are leaking....hopefully its only at the drain plugs. Oil pan gasket leaked....I put a socket to it....all the bolts were only finger tight....tightened to about 10-20 ft. lbs....appears to have stopped leak.

I sincerely thank you for all the info.....if you do not mind, I would love to use you as a resource while trying to make a reliable runner out of the jeep.

PS...If Shilo is the armpit of the world...then Bangui (Central African Republic) is the toilet of the world.

Regards,

les

[rob love]

The parade Jeep I worked on did not have any water in the oil. Remember that you have 120 psi in a cylinder, and only 7 pounds in a radiator, so if the head gasket leak is marginal, it may not show in the oil.

Yes, GL3 is hard to find. But it is out there.

Always happy to share my opinions, even when they are not asked for.

[David Herbert]

Any gear oil with 'EP' in its designation, which includes GL4 &5 is rather more than 'hard on yellow metal' components. The EP additives get into the molecular structure of the surface of the component and prizes it apart on a microscopic level. A bit like ivy growing on a stone wall pulls the mortar out and eventually the wall crumbles. The result of this is that any wearing surface falls apart VERY quickly. I have seen 1mm wear in 1 hour of use on a not terribly loaded plain bronze bearing because of this. This is a serious problem if you get it wrong !

There are plenty of non-automotive uses for non EP gear oils (such as worm reduction gearboxes on electric motors on industrial machinery) so cast your net a bit wider than the local auto parts outlet. What you need is out there.

With regard to the viscosity of engine oil, check out the owners manual of your modern car, which I suggest should have more specific needs than a 50 year old MV. You will see that there is a huge range of acceptable grades of oil for a particular climate (more so in the UK than the more extreme summer/winter variation in Canada) so within limits you do have some latitude. Synthetic oil is much more resistant to breakdown than mineral oils but that is not a great advantage to MVs as you probably are not trying to get 16000miles between oil changes (I hope).

David

[David Dunlop]

Just a thought on the wheel wobble. Check that the wheels are all balanced and don't assume that the presence of any weights on them means they are. Paved roads can wear older ND tyres rather more quickly than one might expect.

David